


Summer Camp 69

by blahstuck



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/M, M/M, Summer Camp, Summer Camp AU, Zemyx - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-04 08:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1772209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blahstuck/pseuds/blahstuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zexion is facing a summer of being a counselor at a Summer Camp. Luckily, his co-counselor isn't too bad (can't say much about his boyfriend though), and he seems to be accepted by most of the others. But there's that one guy, the waterfront director and lifeguard, that Zexion just isn't too sure about. What's his problem?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day of Camp

“Welcome to Camp Moon Lake, located smack in the middle of Heartache Forest, a name that stuck because of the numerous “lost love” myths that take place here,” the camp director boomed. It was quite the opening to the camp staff’s “brief” welcome for training week, and seemed to Zexion to be more of a sales pitch. He sighed once, then turned his attention to the director again. What was supposed to be a 10 minute welcome and introduction to Camp Moon Lake turned into a half hour affair.

During this time, Zexion’s eyes glazed over as he became lost in thought, wondering how his summer would go, and if it would be better than working at his uncle’s  like he did last summer. Despite the fact he was made to serve drinks underage, it was a pretty decent job. He would definitely look into bartending as a side job in graduate school year, as the tips were pretty decent. But for now, his father’s friend got him this job last minute as a family favor.

He was brought out of this reverie when he slapped his arm, where a mosquito had just landed. He heard a snicker from somewhere behind him, and decided against turning around to glare. He didn’t want to make any more enemies at camp. And yes, the bugs were what he considered his natural enemies. But Zexion wasn’t complaining about camp, he just liked being indoors more. ‘ _Too bad I couldn’t get a job in the kitchens_ ,’ he thought to himself, just as director “Wolf” finished his spiel.

Apparently they went by nicknames here, so he would have to make a good enough impression on his fellow staff members if he didn’t want to get stuck with something humiliating. Because of course you can’t make one up for yourself. Zexion sighed once more before standing and departing to find his cabin again. This was going to be a _long_ summer.

 

* * *

 

After the half mile trek back to his cabin, Zexion began to finish unpacking. First off, he got out his water bottle and filled it with water and chugged half of it. The day was climbing up into the high 70s and low 80s slowly but surely. He looked around the cabin. It was pretty big, for the two people who were going to be living in it. It was originally made for four people, and there were still four beds and two side tables. But the overnight camps only needed two counselors per camp site, so Zexion supposed they were used during off-season camping. However, there were four beds to choose from, so he pulled two together to make a bigger bed.

After this, he unpacked his gray sheets and red plaid sleeping bag. The sleeping bag added extra cushioning to the hard, springy mattress the camp provided. Then he sorted all his clothes to make sure he could access the various items, and sorted his (few) toiletries. The last thing he did was take out his chargers and plug them into the outlets nearest to him. It was only a phone charger, laptop cord, and alarm clock, but there were only three outlets in the cabin.  

He heard voices and snaps of twigs and other assorted nature outside the cabin.  ‘ _Must be some co-workers_.’ They sounded buddy-buddy out there, ‘ _And they_ _must know each other_ ,’ Zexion mused. And indeed, when the owners of those voices came into the cabin, Zexion could hear queries of “You think they removed our carvings at the dining hall?” and “I wonder if the weather will be better than last year’s.” The guy asking about vandalism had a shock of bright red hair, all pulled back in a ponytail, and the stray ends contained somewhat by a blue bandana. He had two tattoos underneath his eyes, and Zexion could see he had others barely hiding underneath his shirtsleeves. He asked his question to a slightly shorter guy, who was slightly shorter than Zexion’s 5’6 height. This guy had dirty blonde hair, spiked in all directions but still relatively short, and wore cargo pants with lots of zippers. He had a somewhat serious expression, despite the smirk on his face.

The last one to enter through the door was about an inch or two taller than the red-head and a bit thinner, or was it lankier? He had blonde hair spiked up in a sort of Mohawk/fohawk, and the shorter (shaved?) hair on the sides was brown. He had the biggest grin on his face, which Zexion found himself staring at when it suddenly became focused on him. “Oh hey, who have we here?” the red-head asked. His voice oozed mischief, and sounded slightly rough.

Zexion blinked and stood up, hand out to introduce himself. “Hello, I am Zexion. I’m going to be a counselor with you guys, I guess …” he trailed off. Introductions were not really his forte. The red-head chuckled and took his hand. “I’m Axel, a.k.a. Pyro. I’m not a counselor this year. But my buddy Roxas here is!” He nudged the shortest guy. “I’m gonna be working in the kitchens. So stay on my nice side if you want the good stuff!” he added with a wink. Roxas shot him a look, before turning to Zexion and holding his hand out as well. “Hey, yeah, I’m Roxas like he said. My camp name is Zippers but I like to be called Zips. I’m the other counselor for this site, so I hope we get along.”

“I’m sure we will,” Zexion replied with a polite almost-smile. Zexion was relieved, he was worried that Axel would have been a far too troublesome roommate.  

Turning his attention to the tallest figure, Zexion let his eyes trail up from where Roxas’ head ended and his chest began. He was met with the dirtiest smile he’d ever seen. It was almost a smirk. Except… the eyes, such a light blue in contrast with his own darker, blue-grey ones, added to the smirk, and the gleam was so suggestive Zexion felt his face heat up. He mumbled a “Nice to meet you” before turning around to plug in his phone and zip up his bag. A familiar laugh met his ears, louder in this small cabin than in a crowd. Zexion turned around again. As Roxas had begun to unpack, and he heard Axel talking quietly to him on the other side of the room, he suspected that the laugh was from the unknown guy still standing in the door. Still standing there, and still smirking at him. He met the man’s gaze, this time holding it with his own defiant expression, before the crackle of a walkie-talkie broke it off.

This caused the blondie to break the gaze, as he exited the cabin to answer the call. His voice was nice, bubbly and bright, definitely not matching the previous expression. Zexion caught himself wondering if he should have gotten his name, but decided that this was a person who might be looking for trouble, and Zexion was unwilling to play along. Instead, he decided to just focus on making friends enough with his cabin buddy and co-counselor for the summer, Roxas. Oh. And his… boyfriend?

Zexion hadn’t noticed how the hushed talking had turned to silenced whispers. But when he looked over to assess his “roommate’s” state of affairs, he quickly looked down. Axel’s figure leaned over Roxas’ in an encompassing hug, whispering into his neck and ears, and Zexion had just witnessed a kiss on the neck and oh a very heated expression from Roxas. Perhaps it was time to step outside, and check out the map.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Fuck. He might be lost. Almost? Zexion had ventured out to find a quiet spot to sit and think, something he enjoyed doing in the solace of the library at home. But he had not consulted the map of camp for this, and was now trying to figure out where he was. Sighing, he brushed his bangs out of his face. He was glad his mother insisted on him wearing his hair back, it really alleviated some of the heat with it not plastered on the back of his neck. The stray pieces that couldn’t be contained in the back, though, were starting to aggravate him. He might have to invest in a bandana, like Axel’s.

And speaking of Axel… He hoped his roommate wouldn’t be keeping him up all night with his… lover? Zexion didn’t know what the two were. But with a week of preparing for the campers and going over rules and regulations and safety instructions, they had better not be fooling around after hours! He decided to confront Roxas about it during dinner.

                His stomach growled, and Zexion looked at his wristwatch. Crap, it was almost 5! Didn’t the director say something about punctuality? And they were supposed to actually physically be in their seats at 5… Getting up from the place of refuge he privately marked out as his own (and physically marking it with his Swiss army knife), Zexion again consulted the camp map. ‘ _Let’s see…_ ’ he pondered, ‘ _if the dining hall is north of the main area, and my site was south east of that, and the sun might be setting over in that direction…_ ’ Nope. He was definitely lost. He was 21 years old and he felt like a kid again, helpless without an experienced adult to guide him. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he decided to just head north and hope to stumble across a familiar setting.

 

* * *

 

 

Five minutes later, he came across the waterfront area. Checking his map, he noted that it was to the east of the dining hall, and northeast of his site. ‘ _Ok, so if I go a bit northwest…_ ’ Finally, he had it figured out! A small smile made it to his lips, as he turned himself to face NW. As he started again on his journey, Zexion did not notice the figure that had just popped out of the waterfront storage unit.  Nor did he notice when said figure began silently following him. That is, until Zexion reached one of the roads that surrounded the camp’s forest. He had gone too far north. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. This is why they use the buddy system at camps.

“So, like, where are ya goin?” a bodiless voice came from the trees behind him. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he knew at the same time he had not heard a voice exactly like that before.  Zexion turned fast on his heels and blew away some stray hair from his eyes. “Well, I was _trying_ to get to the dining hall, as I am late,” he huffed, glancing around the general direction he heard the voice from.

“I could probably help, given that it’s my third year here.” The voice grew closer, and Zexion heard the rustling of leaves underfoot. “But I might need you to do me a favor when we get there,” the tall blonde guy stepped out and Zexion understood why the voice was familiar. He had only heard the bubbly, innocent tones before, but this was the voice that matched the dirty smirk and gaze. It was deeper, and almost… huskier? This time, though, his expression was slightly amused.

“Fine, but tell me what the favor is, and allow me to agree to it or decline, right now.” Zexion was aware of the traps that were set up by owing “favors”, he read enough fanfiction to see where that could go. The guy sighed and rolled his eyes. “Wow, you’re no fun! I was just gonna ask ya if ya wanted to eat with me and my buddies, since you know them. Y’know, Roxas? Your roomie?” Oh, ok that didn’t sound too bad. “I accept your offer,” Zexion stated matter-of-factly.

The two arrived at dinner very late, at 5:10. Zexion felt all the eyes on him and would have left immediately, if it weren’t for his growling stomach. The other just smiled happily at the glaring Wolf, and led him to the table where Roxas and some other people were sitting. Zexion chose to sit at the end, next to Roxas. The still unknown friend of Axel and Roxas glared slightly, his plans foiled. He dejectedly sat down in the empty space between a petite blonde girl and some brunet guy. After they filled their plates with that night’s dinner, chicken tenders and mac and cheese with salad, Zexion found himself being informed about everyone at the table.

“So, Zexion, you know me, and Axel’s still in the kitchen cleaning up. The guy across from you with the silver hair is Riku, a.k.a. Knight. He got that nickname because he’s protective of the kid next to him, Sora. He has yet to be given a nickname since he’s new here, like you. He also happens to be my cousin. Kairi is the red-head girl on the other side of me, she’s super nice and is going out with Sora. Her nickname is Biscuit since she’s sweet, like really nice. Namine is the girl next to Kairi, she’s the blonde one? Yeah, her nickname is Angel, and when you talk to her more you’ll understand. She’s a counselor with Kairi, but she’s real great at the arts. Xion is across from her, she’s another counselor. She’s new this year too, but she arrived here from Japan real early and got to stay with Namine. We all live sorta nearby each other. And I see you met Bubbles. He’s from Norway but he’s lived in the U.S. most of his life. He and Axel have been working here for like 3 years now. We’ll see him around.”

Zexion was thankful for the information, and introduced himself to the others formally, after dinner. They invited him to sit with them for the First Night Campfire, a longstanding Camp Moon Lake tradition. S’mores were made, songs were sung, and Zexion felt content just relaxing in the background of it all, observing his new acquaintances and enjoying the campfire smell. There may be a long summer ahead of him, but that night he let his worries disappear.


	2. Start of Camp

Training week was so far so good. Zexion learned a surprising amount about camp rules and regulations, as well as more about his “co-workers”. He was a fairly observant person, and thus spoke very little in general. From this habit, he was able to see that there were others working at camp who were not very friendly. For example, Marluxia, the expert on plants who maintained the vegetable garden for the camp, was always giving the group fake smiles. Zexion might have been the only one to see that when no one else was looking, Marluxia would change those smiles into scowls. What was his deal? Then again, he was nicknamed Bumblebee because of his handiness with plants, but the others called him “Queen Bee” most of the time.

                Larxene, nicknamed “Lightning Bug”, was the only person who hung around the suspicious character. She practically clung to him, while he gave her attention sparingly. Larxene did hang out with a few of the new friends Zexion had made, but she would occasionally lash out at them, and had an overall very demanding character. He figured it was because she wanted the attention from others that she was not getting from the man she so obviously was infatuated with.

Moving on, there were a few staff members who Zexion decided he liked, as they respected his silence, and he, theirs. One such character was the nurse, Vexen. He was considered by the others, namely Axel, to have a cold personality. Zexion had the chance to meet him when he had the fortune to realize too late that he had left his emergency inhaler at home. So, he was sent to the first aid cabin where he met Vexen, and enjoyed his company and brief medical lectures for the hour rest prescribed to him.

Lexaeus was another quiet figure, and although he was a big, intimidating man, Zexion knew he could do no harm. After all, he worked at a camp. He was in charge of the rock wall and zip line, but was also a wildlife expert. He had been a ranger at the nearby National Park for a while beforehand. Zexion came across him at his secret clearing of solace (where he had first gotten lost). After getting over a few seconds of shock, Zexion realized he had found another quiet companion. They would definitely be a source of refuge when camp started up for the summer, ruining the near-peace that was yet undisturbed.

 

* * *

 

The rest of training and orientation week went well enough for Zexion, aside from the only source of irritation around. No matter what he did, Zexion could not shake the smirking laughter he heard coming from those bright blue eyes of “Bubbles”. And no one would tell him what Bubble’s real name was, either. He told himself it didn’t matter, anyway, as he tried to avoid the tall blonde at all cost. It’s not that he was uncomfortable in a bad way, but that smile, those eyes… Zexion found himself recalling they were a bright blue.

“Stopit, stop it,” he muttered to himself one night. Roxas had asked him to have a few hours of the cabin they shared alone, before camp started, and Zexion obliged. It would be their last night of true freedom, and Zexion decided to relish the peaceful night as well. Unfortunately, his quiet spot was not too quiet, as he realized it was too close to his campsite for him to get any real peace of mind. So, Zexion decided to take a walk, and had ended up by the lake.

Moon Lake was a beautiful sight in the moonlight, hence its name. Zexion found himself staring into the sparkling, night-filled waters when he caught himself thinking about Bubble’s eyes. Speaking of, hadn’t Roxas said he was the head lifeguard, or something? But it was night, and there was no way he could possibly be there now, could there? Zexion looked around furtively, suddenly aware of any noises that could mean unwanted presences. When he made sure he was definitely alone, he relaxed, and began breathing in the tranquil night air. Not too hot and muggy, not too cold and windy, the last night before camp started couldn’t be better.

Zexion decided to head down to the sandy beach to watch the lake. Glancing at his phone, he noticed he had two hours left before it was safe to head back to sleep. Actually, considering the average male sex drive, it was probably safe to head back even now, but he didn’t want to risk it. Not on a night like this. He settled down in the sands, thankful for the light sweatshirt he brought. The water attracted a cold breeze that set goose bumps off on his bare calves. He hugged his legs closer to him, and after a while he began to notice activity over the waters. Bats were out, hunting mosquitos, forming dark, rippling clouds when they reached above tree level, the clear night sky illuminating them from behind. After a while, Zexion closed his eyes, promising himself that it was just to hear the music of the night better.

An hour passed and Zexion woke with a start. ‘ _Where am I?’_ The waterfront _. ‘What woke me up?’_ Looking around cautiously, he realized the wind had picked up, causing the dock to shift in a louder fashion. But that wasn’t it before, that _just_ happened. ‘ _There was another sound before that,_ ’ he recalled. And then it happened again, behind him. The snapping of twigs on the forest floor. Zexion calmed his nerves before slowly standing up, stretching his cramped neck and legs while turning around. He saw the flashlight which symbolized the presence of a human and decided it must be the sheriff, Xaldin,  on his nightly round. Looking at his phone again, he confirmed that this must be so as it was 11, 10 minutes before the sheriff usually came by his campsite.

Zexion decided it was time to head back that way anyway, and caught up with the authority figure. This earned him a reprimanding of being out alone in the wilderness with no buddy or flashlight. Zexion apologized, and bid the man good night when they arrived at the now peaceful campsite. It was called “Memory”, and each camp site had its own name. As he crept into the cabin, he saw that Axel would be sleeping over, but luckily he and Roxas were in a deep sleep. This turned out to be lucky indeed for him, as he was startled by a loud noise outside while undressing for bed. It sounded like a child screaming, and caused him to knock his charging phone off his bed. “Just a fox,” he reassured himself after a moment of stunned silence. Then he heard another sound, but this time an all too familiar one.

It was the laugh he heard on the first day, but this time it was muffled. Eyes narrowing, Zexion peered  into the moonlit clearing outside the cabin. And then he heard it again, just before he heard another startling sound from nature. Or was it just a prankster? But no, the loud scream and shout came from deeper in the forest, well away from the clearing, whereas the laughter seemed to be nearby. Maybe, perhaps, it was a few pranksters. Zexion shook his head and finished getting ready, tucking himself into his sleeping bag.

 

* * *

 

 

Unbeknownst to the slate-haired, quiet guy, the scream and shout were all natural. Demyx laughed once more before heading back to his cabin he shared with Axel. ‘Man, when I went looking for Axe I didn’t expect to get that for a show!’ the tall man smirked. He had been innocently strolling around camp, checking on the waterfront (which showed signs of minor human disturbance) before heading towards the Memory site. What had started out as just checking up on his buddy and seeing if he was coming back or spending the night there turned into quite the show for him. Demyx had almost forgotten that the cute new guy was Roxas’ cabin-mate, that is, until he happened to look through the cabin window.

That was when, in a matter of seconds, he saw Zexion stripping his shirt to jumping in startled fear as a red fox made itself heard throughout the woods. Demyx couldn’t help but laugh, remembering to stifle it a bit. He moved around to get a better look at Zexion without being seen himself, and was treated to another show. As Zexion relaxed and began to take off his pants, an owl’s screech caused him to pause once more. He couldn’t help but laugh again, and took off for his own cabin. Wow, talk about a looker! ‘ _That kid had a great body to go with his face_ ,’ Demyx thought, ‘ _and I got an extended look thanks to nature. Thank you, fox and owl!_ ’ He laughed at his luck before he too settled in for the night.

 

* * *

 

 

“Welcome!” boomed the voice of Xemnas, the apparently real director of Camp Moon Lake. Zexion had been sure Saix (or Wolf) was the director, but here they were, first day of camp, and this man just appears and gives the official welcome to camp speech. His commanding tone was slightly effective on the children, as they had stopped shouting and talking loudly, but they were still squirming and whispering to each other, as kids are wont to do. Luckily, the real director was good at keeping his speeches short and to the point, and soon Roxas and Zexion found themselves in charge of a small army of boys aged 7-9.

“All right then, lads, once you’ve got your stuff we’ll head to our campsite, Memory!” Roxas shouted, as you herded some wanderers back into line. “We’re going to go over super important, top-secret plans so hurry up!” This caught their attention, and in no time, it seemed to Zexion, they were already at the site. The boys were soon given their tent assignments, and made short work of clearing out tents and spreading their sleeping bags out on the hard mattresses (the tents were on wooden platforms, in case of rain, and each had 6 beds).

Zexion gave them a quick but thorough tour of the site, from where they would meet at morning and night, to where the bathrooms and showers were. Roxas explained to them a few other rules, mainly ones you had both come up with to keep your sanity during the weeks (quiet hours started at 10pm, and they had to be up by 7:30 am for breakfast). Once or twice you had to break up the start of a small fight, but otherwise, the first day had very few problems. ‘ _Maybe this first week wouldn’t be so bad_ ,’ Zexion thought, with a small glimmer of hope.

And indeed, it turned out to be a great first week. He and Roxas, it appeared, had gotten the best group of boys. The others complained of how they had to deal with brats who wouldn’t listen to girls who kept complaining and screaming whenever they encountered nature. Zexion secretly sympathized with those girls, as he couldn’t help but get creepy-crawlies anytime he saw a bug where only humans (in his mind) were allowed.

His group really was the best. They couldn’t wait to get from one activity to the next, especially with how Roxas led them. He would come up with the coolest sounding names for each station, which appealed to boys their age. Zexion was impressed. He confided in Roxas that he would have never thought of that, having not much of an imagination. “Nonsense, I’m not that special, and I’m sure you have a great imagination. I just remember how boring camp was, and how cool spies were for me that age. But I guess it helps to have some practice,” he admitted. Zexion attempted to gather enthusiasm and charisma to help Roxas out, but quickly found he did not have the same effect on the boys. “It’s ok, really, Zexion,” Roxas laughed, “You’re more of the quiet type anyway. I’m sure they’ll come to you for advice soon enough, even if it’s just to listen to their problems.”

Roxas was correct, and during the next two weeks Zexion found himself listening to a wide range of problems which boys aged 7-11 seemed to have. He didn’t mind, though, as he was used to listening. Plus, Zexion was glad to be of some help to Roxas. He didn’t know how the guy could muster up so much energy every single day. He guessed it had something to do with the promise of spending Saturday nights with Axel, the only free nights they got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I hope it came out well. I'll be getting to the good stuff soon, I promise. Just needed some intro to camp and the people, a bit of development. I'll try and get another chapter out in a few days.   
> Spread the word if you've enjoyed this so far!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this first installment of my new fic! It all came about with an unfulfilled desire for a summer camp au starring zemyx. I had such a craving and there is literally nothing i found that came close to this idea i had. So, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Please, suggest to friends and spread the word if you liked it!


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